Britain's pets are being killed with kindness by owners who overfeed them, experts have warned.

One in FOUR of all owners admit giving their dogs, cats and other animals too much to eat.

And one in FIVE think pets can take care of their own fitness so don't bother to walk them or give them any other exercise.

A survey by supermarket chain Aldi found most owners believe their pets are the ideal weight. But experts say the UK's pets are among the fattest and laziest in Europe.

One concerned owner who has put his pooch on a diet and exercise regime is Andy Ballham.

His bearded collie Homer was growing tubbier and tubbier - but it was only when friends started commenting that Andy was spurred into action. He said: "I didn't want to accept that I had let Homer get fat.

But when people made remarks I decided to do something about it.

"Homer is nine already and I didn't want him to get any fatter and have problems later in his life."

Andy, of Guildford, Surrey, got help from Aldi in understanding where he was going wrong in feeding Homer.

He said: "The trouble was his dinner had never looked enough so he would always get a top-up.

"Often he would have leftovers of whatever I had for dinner - particularly rice from the Chinese!"

Now Homer gets regulated portions and Andy takes him on two walks a day totalling 90 minutes.

Andy added: "Homer has adapted very well to the new regime and has lost pounds in just a few weeks.

"It is amazing how the few minor changes I've made have really made the difference to him and he enjoys his walks so much more.

"I have also consulted with my vet, who was very pleased but mentioned he is seeing an increasing number of overweight dogs whose owners don't seem to be wanting to make any changes."

The average cost of owning a pet is around £20,000 and overweight ones are likely to cost their owners even more in vet bills as obesity can cause diabetes and arthritis.

Leading pet psychologist Roger Tabor said: "It's not just humans who are getting fatter - there's an obesity crisis looming for pets too.

"Like their owners, cats and dogs have very specific nutritional needs and if they have too much they will get fat. Simple as that."